Driven swings for children and adults which provide oscillatory movement to the occupant of such a swing are well known. Mechanical devices which utilize stored energy in the form of a spring or similar device to provide oscillatory movement to infant swings and carriers have been developed. Electrically powered mechanisms have been used to provide reciprocating movement for infant swings as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,824 issued to Quinlan in 1984 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,317 issued to Bansal in 1985.
The swings above provide only reciprocal pendulous movement of an attached chair or carrier about a horizontal axis. While repetitive pendulous motion may be soothing, it may also be considered to be monotonous and offers little stimulation for learning or added sensory perception. Therefore, prior art swings are considered to be deficient as a rehabilitative or learning device and serve only to occupy the occupant's time without providing a challenging stimulus.
In contrast, simple observation of children at play on swings in playground environments shows that monotonous pendulous movement is often replaced by complex pendulous and rotational movement wherein the occupant exerts a twisting force such that the swing is rotated about an axis normal to the horizontal axis. No prior swings for handicapped individuals or children are known to provide this type motion; however, it is clear from simple observation of playground children that such motion greatly enhances the sensory stimuli and enjoyment of the swing occupant.
An occupant controlled rotating and reciprocating swing also provides a safe learning environment for severely impaired children to learn the skills necessary to control an electric wheelchair. In the event of serious injury or other disabling conditions, this device may provide motor control therapy needed for adults to regain work or driving skills using special controls. The above described swing provides severely disabled individuals the ability to turn and look in another direction. In general, the device can provide a greater degree of independence in addition to enhanced recreational enjoyment.